Municipalities in Amazonas that incorporate family-based agricultural production into school meals are setting an example of sovereignty, health, and respect for traditional cultures, and are a reference for the rest of the country.
Practicing their ways of life, indigenous peoples supplied a large portion of the municipal schools in São Gabriel da Cachoeira (AM) this year. Considering that the city is proportionally the most indigenous in Brazil – more than 90% of its residents – it is not surprising that the vast majority of public schools serve indigenous students.
Until recently, school meals consisted of canned sardines for children surrounded by fresh fish from their communities. With the recent shift in food supply and the increased prominence of traditional peoples and communities (TCCs), beiju (cassava flatbread), farinha (cassava flour), xibé (a type of cassava flour), fruit pulps, and many other foods common in the daily lives of young indigenous children have become part of their school diet in Amazonas.
The topic was discussed on Wednesday, the 18th, at the table. Diversity on the Plate: How to Include Food from Traditional Peoples and Communities in the School Feeding Program (PNAE)?. The meeting of experts and representatives of indigenous peoples, organized by ISPN, was part of the program for the third edition of Mother Earth Brazil 2020, which takes place until November 22nd on the channel of Slow Food Brazil's YouTube channel. [Check out the full schedule].
Strengthened crops and income for families.
The participation of Family Farming Producers (PCTAFs) in policies such as the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) is an essential strategy for strengthening socio-environmental dynamics, as it sustains traditional ways of life, protects intangible culture, and generates income for communities. The PNAE itself stipulates that 30% of resources be used to purchase produce from family farmers, but this measure is almost never fulfilled due to bureaucratic obstacles.
In São Gabriel da Cachoeira, the secret to success was the collaboration between various institutions and the publication of Technical Note 01/2017/ADAF/SFA-AM/MPF-AM, which adapted the sanitary standards required by the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) to the reality of indigenous peoples and the state's logistics. The argument was based on the existing understanding of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), which simplifies the regulations for the production of food of animal and plant origin intended for family consumption.
The text of the Technical Note was developed collectively, based on a Technical Note from Funai (National Indian Foundation) and opinions from bodies linked to sanitary regulation, both state and federal, and included the participation of indigenous movements, social organizations and public institutions, within the scope of the Commission on Traditional Foods of the Peoples in Amazonas (Catrapoa). For the coordinator of the Amazon Program at ISPN (Institute for the Promotion of National Health), Rodrigo Noleto, among traditional peoples and communities, there is a family dynamic from production to consumption in schools.
“Parents, uncles, and grandparents plant in the fields, relatives prepare the food at schools, and their children are the final consumers. So, we can consider that this production, destined for the school within the same territory, is family consumption or self-consumption,” says Noleto.
The goal now is to extend the proposal to all traditional peoples and communities in Brazil, with the publication of Technical Note No. 3/2020/6aCCR/MPF (Click here to download the technical note.There are many arguments in favor: the products are natural, production is local and sustainable, the food is healthy, students enjoy them, and parents strengthen income generation at home, which also contributes to the local economy.
Fernando Soave, Prosecutor of the Federal Public Ministry of Amazonas (MPF/AM) and Coordinator of Catrapoa, reports that the idea of expanding to traditional communities in Amazonas already existed because the reality is very similar, and that the proposal to encourage the replication of the experience is to hold a meeting by region of the country, with the main leaders of traditional peoples and communities, civil society, secretaries of education and production, prosecutors, and attorneys. He highlights that Catrapoa, which involves several institutions, is a finalist for the Innovare Award, which contributes to the dissemination of the initiative.
Bureaucracy that sours
Fernando Soave comments that the inadequate food previously served to schools – dried meat and powdered juice for communities that have an abundance of fish and fresh fruit – highlighted a problem imposed by bureaucratic difficulties.
The director of the Supply and Logistics Department of the Manaus Education Secretariat (Semed), Leís Batista, explains how it used to be: “For the processing of some products, they had to go through a cold storage facility and acquire a seal to return to the community. The cost of logistics was greater than the cost of the food itself,” he comments. This is not unlike the reality in many parts of the country today.
Farmer Cenaide Pastor Marques Lima, representative of the Indigenous Association of the Tuyuka Ethnic Group Residents of São Gabriel da Cachoeira (AIETUM/SGC), reports that previously the supply of products did not reflect the community's reality. “It had to go through Anvisa [Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency], it had to have a seal, a nutritional table… The Technical Note here for the state of Amazonas is very gratifying,” he shares.
The coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib), Kerexu Yxapyry, from the Morro dos Cavalos Indigenous Land in Santa Catarina, points out that, in addition to the bureaucracy being out of touch with the reality of the peoples, there is also the difficulty with language, since many indigenous people are not fluent in Portuguese. Imagine trying to understand the various required documents in a language that is not your own? Something is not right.
Diversity is sovereignty and food and nutritional security.
Açaí, buriti, cupuaçu, tucunaré and other fish pulps, pineapple, banana, cassava, cassava flour and tapioca, starch and various other products from the communities fed around 20 students from municipal and state indigenous schools in more than 20 municipalities in Amazonas between 2019 and 2020, benefiting 350 farmers with sustainable practices. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the supply to schools was transformed into food kits for families. This increased orders.
“We are happy to see the children at our school eating organic and healthy products, which are their everyday foods. This has greatly encouraged local producers. Here, we work with hope and are more motivated. We hope that many other farmers can participate as well,” says Florinda Orjuela, from the Indigenous Association of the Tuyuka Ethnic Group, in São Gabriel da Cachoeira.
According to Fernando Soave, the municipality of São Gabriel purchases 100% of its food directly from indigenous communities through public bidding processes. This represents diversity, health, sovereignty, and food and nutritional security, positioning the state as a benchmark in the socio-environmental cycle.
Articulate in order to harvest the fruits
Collaboration between traditional peoples and communities, their organizations, and civil society, along with municipal, state, and federal public administrators, is essential for replicating successful initiatives nationwide and overcoming bureaucratic obstacles to promote socio-productive inclusion. This was the main message raised during the conclusions of the panel discussion. Variety on the plate.
According to João Guilherme Nunes Cruz, coordinator of the Indigenous Peoples Program at ISPN, dialogues with indigenous movements and organizations, with FUNAI (National Indian Foundation), and some state governments, such as that of Maranhão, have already begun. Cruz also stated that the panel discussion at Terra Madre was a success because it sparked interest among these actors in learning more and replicating the Amazonas experience using the National Technical Standard in their own contexts.
Developing more accessible policies for the inclusion of socio-biodiverse production strengthens the act of eating beyond the important aspect of health. This is also a movement that engages with the ancestry and wisdom of peoples. It is the history and identities of Brazilians present in the country's public policies. “Food brings the consecration of our bodies as human beings and this connection with divinity. Each people has its own seeds, each people has its own way of eating. Food is health and spirituality,” explains Kerexu.
Access the booklet "School Feeding and Traditional Peoples and Communities" here.
PPP-ECOS and School Feeding
Discover two projects supported by our Fund for the Promotion of Productive Eco-social Landscapes (PPP-ECOS), with funding from the Amazon Fund, that sell their products to the National School Feeding Program (PNAE):